Panellists at a Gleaner Editors’ Forum held at the newspaper’s downtown Kingston head offices last Thursday agreed that libraries and information units will remain relevant for years to come. Here are their reasons:

Dr Paulette Stewart, head of the Department of Library and Information Studies at The University of the West Indies, Mona:

“Libraries and information systems are here to stay because librarians who manage these information systems will help the users to evaluate information, use information, and even to locate information. Sometimes it’s very difficult for individuals to determine where to find information and that librarian can guide professionally.”

Claudette Thomas, director – Jamaica Archives and Records Department:

“They guide the process in controlling the cost to information and how we grow as a country.”

“They are here to stay because there are too many persons in our country who do not have the resources available to be able to provide them with the information that they need to improve their lives, and that is where libraries come in – to ensure that people have access to information.”